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The University of Arizona's 30 year forecast for the state's economy, released September 2015, had some good news overall. The report predicts that Arizona will experience a greater level of personal income per capita than ever before, which is good for business and for accountants. Business services, of which accounting is a part, added the most jobs of any between 2014 and 2015. Healthcare and financial services are also expected to grow; both industries offer opportunities for accountants.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average accountant's income in the state is $66,750 as of May 2015. In 2014, the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity classified the field of accounting as among the top 25 occupations with the greatest amount of employment expected between 2014 and 2024, with an expected 10,849 new jobs being added between 2014 and 2024.

According to the same report, about 66 percent of the state's population lives in the Phoenix metropolitan area and 15 percent live in Tucson. Not surprisingly, most of the accounting jobs in the state are clustered in these areas.

The state's largest employers are financial services providers, led by American Express and Edward Jones; Scottrade and USAA also have a large presence. Another prominent industry is aerospace and defense; Raytheon, Honeywell and General Dynamics are all hiring in Arizona.

To earn your CPA in Arizona you must have a bachelor's degree that includes 36 semester hours of advanced accounting courses. You will also need a year of experience in the office of a CPA or public accountant, in private industry or with a government agency in which you gain experience in the practice of accounting.

Once you're certified, you can build your career through networking and continuing education opportunities with the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants (https://secure.ascpa.com). Certified management accountants (CMAs) can network with peers through the Arizona Valley of the Sun Institute of Management Accountants (http://imavalleyofthesun.org). In addition, the Wild West Council of the Institute of Management Accountants (https://sites.google.com/site/wildwestcouncil) includes local Arizona chapters. Of special interest to Latino CPAs is the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, which has a chapter in Phoenix (http://phoenix.alpfa.org) and another in Tucson (http://tucson.alpfa.org).

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FEATURED ONLINE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTING PROGRAMS

More accountants and business professionals in Arizona are turning to master's
programs to earn the 150 semester hours required for a CPA license, or
just as a way to advance their knowledge in specialized areas of accounting.

Levels Offered:Associate Degree, CertificatePrograms Offered:Associate Certificate in AccountingAssociate of Applied Science in AccountingCertificate in AccountingCertificate in Accounting AssociatesCertificate in Completion in AccountingCertificate in Completion in Bookkeeping/Accounting